Modern ingredients now make it easy to produce great designs with bright colors that wash off easily with soap and water and are easy to wear and hard to smear.

Face painting has since grown to be used more in the entertainment field especially in print, fantasy makeup and special effects. Just in the past 20 years, face painting became popular for children's parties, baby showers, and corporate events.

Experienced Face and Body artists are in great demand worldwide and there are now conventions dedicated to perfecting the art. See conventions »

A History of Face Painting

Many civilizations from the ancient Egyptians to the native American Indians used face painting to frighten their enemies in war, to distinguish between tribes and to decorate themselves for hunting. Face and body art were also used in cultural ceremonies from pleasing the gods to entertaining their audiences.

Long ago, people made face paint by grinding colored stones, plant root or various clays, then mixing them with vegetable oil or animal fat. They boiled leaves in water and dried and crushed them into a powder and mixed with various ingredients to get the right color.